I'm just full of questions aren't I? I just was curious as to what you guys thought of this. I remember reading of a few guitarists who say they don't really enjoy the traditional way of reading/writing music, with clefs, notes, etc. Eric Johnson for example says he uses his good hearing ability much more than he does with written music, he's got trouble with it or something. I don't know how to read guitar music when it comes to this traditional way, i've always resorted to tablature. I do remember the basics back from band in the 5th and 6th grade when I played trumpet and guitar (not in band though ). I know it's important and everything, so I plan on learning it, i've been playing for about six years now and I definitely think that reading/writing music should be second nature to me. I'm just curious as to how important you guys think it is? I'm sure there's a lot of other people out there that restort to tabs, listening to music, and good ole memorization.

I think it depends on what your going to do . I personally am gonna have to learn because i wanna go to berklee. I have a good enough ear that i can listen to something a few times and figure out how to play it(unless its some rediculous arpeggio).

_________________The fact that flamethrowers exist is enough to prove that somewhere, sometime, someone said to themselves "you know, I wanna set those people over there on fire, but im just not close enough to get the job done".

I think it depends on what your going to do . I personally am gonna have to learn because i wanna go to berklee. I have a good enough ear that i can listen to something a few times and figure out how to play it(unless its some rediculous arpeggio).

Yeah, I would really like to attend Berklee or GIT, that's one of the reasons I'd like to learn it, too.

it's very important regardless of wanting to go to Berklee or not. I played classical for 10yrs before somewhat switching over to rock -- although that switch isn't clean, I'm more of a country finger-picker Chet Atkins player now. but basically if you want to get more complicated, more polyphonic, I think reading/writing music is a must. it's not so important for straight-out improv though. of course aural capabilities are equally as important as reading/writing; so what's my conclusion -- be a well-rounded muso and learn the skill.

I have the same problem, I always studied guitar by myself, and never had any problem about techniques, but when it comes to writing/read, uhhh, i just go with the tabs too. I even get a teacher back there to learn all the teoric stuff, and i learned it, but I still have problems, i guess i have to work harder on it, praticing... Well, yesterday i was playing in http://www.teoria.com while listening to old Ozzy stuff, they have a plenty of good exercises there, in java, just like games, hehe It might help!

_________________ROCK IT!
---Bruno

Tue Jan 07, 2003 11:32 am

gsuing

Motorman

Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2002 3:19 pmPosts: 365Location: Omaha, NE

I've been working my way through the Berklee method books. Just finished book one. All those books are in standard notation and I think I'm more a versatile player because I can read notation. However, I don't think it's a 'must' to be able to read it. If you play for fun or play in a cover or garage band it won't hurt you if you can't read it.

Traditional music notation? It depends, for me, it is a must. I like to control and to analize things. I like to know what I'm doing. So understanding music theory is one of them (that includes to be able to write music down). Music is an art for expression, to be able to execute it, you have to know and understand the rules. Of course, everybody is different, but for me this is a must. I'm in a band with a keyboard player who doesn't have a clue about all this theory stuff. But him and me, we work together perfectly. You have to deceide for yourself if you want learn all that stuff.

_________________sweeping beauty

Wed Jan 08, 2003 7:22 pm

AxerJK

Dr. X

Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2002 7:22 pmPosts: 175

Dude....This is my 3rd year at Berklee and I can't sight read for shit! That's because I don't practice it though. I don't look at tab very much either. I usually just figure everything out by ear.

Let me make sure I have this clear: when I say I can't sight read, I mean just that. When I look at a piece of music, I know what I'm looking at. I know how to tell what key it's in and all that junk. It's just that, if you were to put a piece of music in front of me that I'd never seen before, I wouldn't be able to play it just by looking at the music. Plus, I feel that I have a pretty good knowledge of theory.

So far, my inability to sight read has not really hurt me. I am a performance major, and that's what I want to do - perform on stage. I just hope it won't hurt me in the long run! I'm just too lazy to start practicing it.

Chris

Thu Jan 09, 2003 2:41 am

max

is the Siren's Eye

Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2002 10:50 amPosts: 11Location: Hollywood, CA

notation, tab and dead composers with big hair

AxerJK wrote:

Dude....This is my 3rd year at Berklee and I can't sight read for shit! That's because I don't practice it though. I don't look at tab very much either. I usually just figure everything out by ear.

Let me make sure I have this clear: when I say I can't sight read, I mean just that. When I look at a piece of music, I know what I'm looking at. I know how to tell what key it's in and all that junk. It's just that, if you were to put a piece of music in front of me that I'd never seen before, I wouldn't be able to play it just by looking at the music. Plus, I feel that I have a pretty good knowledge of theory.

So far, my inability to sight read has not really hurt me. I am a performance major, and that's what I want to do - perform on stage. I just hope it won't hurt me in the long run! I'm just too lazy to start practicing it.

Chris

hey,
Max here

I just got out of Berklee (classical comp major) and I remember the delema of sight reading. I decided to tackle this problem when I was in Highschool. I knew I was going to go to Berklee so I busted my ass to get that skill down. it gave me a great freedom cause I could sit down and start reading anything. I started with the Berklee method books and moved on to anything that I could get my hands on from music for solo snares to orchestral scores, I could read with freedom. thing Gilbert playing JS Bach Cello suite at the end of the first instructional vid or Paganinis peretual motion in YRO

Tab is cool but alot of people seem to forget that tab came from lute notation...actually lute notation is tab so it IS a type of notation...but that was in the renosance (sp?), so its actually older then "standard" notation. tab has its limitations cause it only tells you the fingerings not the notes. Its easy to just look at the string your on and then you have to locate the fret number your on thats a piece of cake.
With standard notation you can actually specify the fingerings, its just another step. If you don't know the names of the notes on your geetar then learning to read can be a little harder then looking up the string and fret number. not to mention that with standard notation you can present your cool licks to a flute player or violinist. on the other hand you can sorta "rip off" stuff like the bulk of scarified not to mention learning the compositional techniques of old dead composers. invertable counterpoint still gives me wood...

ok, I forgot where I was going with this
there's my two bitts
Max

Mon Jan 13, 2003 11:14 pm

vandenberg

Dr. X

Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2002 4:38 amPosts: 161Location: australia

it's taken me a while to learn tab notation. I still don't really like it so I much prefer powertabs and guitarpro tabs I can find on the net to the text tab files elsewhere. *shrug*

After about 4 years without one, I'm probably going to try and find another teacher to help me with some of the theory aspects that I haven't yet caught, and hopefully he can teach me sight-reading as well. Even if I don't use sightreading that much, which I doubt, but even if I don't it's just one more thing that I can add as a skill of mine, and yeah I agree with it making you a better rounded musician. So, it's just a matter of time until I can find a way/teacher to help me learn it.

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